Jack sets Liz up on a blind date with his friend, Thomas. While Liz is busy preparing for the date, Jack infiltrates the writers' weekly poker game.
Early Season 30 Rock hits stride with 55 jokes in 21 minutes—densest episode so far.
Directed by Adam Bernstein · Written by John Riggi, Tina Fey
WAR
49
Wins Above Replacement
“Blind Date” ranks #116 of 138 30 Rock episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 80.0 — Elite. The episode packs 55 scored jokes at 2.7 per minute, averaging 7.0 on craft and 6.8 on impact, with Liz landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Gretchen: He approaches everything the same way... Locate the problem, isolate the problem, set the problem up with a lesbian.
Gretchen Escalation Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Why? Because I believe that life is for the living. I believe in taking risks and biting off more than you can chew. And, also, people were yelling, and I got confused about the rules.
Kenneth Escalation Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jenna · Liz: The guy obsessed with Charlie Chaplin. Neil. The one who played Halo under the name Slut Banger. Dennis. The gangly, red-haired guy who played guitar all the time. Conan.
Jenna Liz Escalation Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Frank: Oh, really, is that what you think? Is that what I do? Am I doing that right now?
Frank Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Jack: I would think that a single woman's biggest worry would be choking to death alone in her apartment.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 55 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ TGS Writer: Robot, kick him in the knees. Bears have weak knees. He should vibrate, 'cause the robot's full of radiation.
Liz: Save a little money for the rest of us. You can't spend a lot of money on bear suits that are only gonna be seen for 25 seconds.
Liz Observational Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Liz: You're trying to bring logic to the robot-bear sketch?
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Liz: Who did my sudoku puzzle? I have been looking forward to this puzzle all morning.
Liz Character Comedy Observational Liz: I never have a free moment, Jack. Never, ever.
Liz Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Liz: How does your life improve? Do the hands have money in them?
Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: I can tell from your stress level that you have not been touched in quite some time... Not caressed, not massaged, not even groped on the subway.
Jack Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: I would think that a single woman's biggest worry would be choking to death alone in her apartment.
Jack Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz · Jack: Poker night? Who plays? Really, that's all you got out of that?
Liz Jack Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: I bluffed. Yes, I am coming.
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy Liz: Oh, my God, isn't Jack friends with Tom DeLay? Am I going on a date with Tom DeLay?
Liz Escalation Observational Cerie: But if it is Tom DeLay and you do go home with him, be prepared for it to get weird.
Cerie Dark/Subversive Setup/Punchline Tracy · Josh: I used to play all kinds of poker with my aunts... Crazy 7, Albuquerque Freak-Out, One-Card Stud. Yeah, I don't think those are real games.
Tracy: Whatever. Get ready to get took.
Tracy Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Liz · Frank: No, I mean, if you were gonna go on a date with a woman, how would you want her to act? Like she was in a porn.
Cerie: I want you to go out on your lunch hour and find something... in a women's clothing store.
Cerie Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Josh: You look like a fancy prostitute.
Josh Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Tracy · Jack: What up, Tra? This round, Texas Doozy. Face cards are wild, 3 is a jinx, 5s are 25.
Jack: Well, then you best go home and put on your daddy's shoes, boy. This is a man's game.
Jack Character Comedy Setup/Punchline Pete: Oh, my God, my wedding ring. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. My wife's gonna kill me!
Pete Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Jack: Like, when Lutz here has a good hand, he stops eating.
Jack Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Frank: Oh, really, is that what you think? Is that what I do? Am I doing that right now?
Frank Irony/Sarcasm Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Josh · Kenneth: Kenneth, how long you been sitting there? I'm taking Pete's place, he's in the bathroom, laying in his own sick.
Josh: Oh, my God. He can't read Kenneth. He's a blank slate.
Josh Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: I think I have what they refer to as a royal flush.
Kenneth Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Liz · Gretchen: Why would Jack just assume that we're lesbians? I am a lesbian.
Gretchen: He approaches everything the same way... Locate the problem, isolate the problem, set the problem up with a lesbian.
Gretchen Escalation Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Liz · Gretchen: That's a pretty good joke for somebody from plastics. Well, I wasn't always in plastics. I used to work in water-process technologies, working mainly in primary metals. Oh, so you have a comedy background?
Jack · Liz: Your shoes. Well, I'm straight. Those shoes are definitely bi-curious.
Jack Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack · Liz: Did you know his middle name is Ellen? No, that's weird. Kenneth Ellen.
Jack Liz Character Comedy Observational Jack · Liz: She thought you looked like Jennifer Jason Leigh. Really, she said that? Yes, I made her repeat it. I was sure she meant Jason Lee.
Jack Liz Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Liz: Kenneth, it is diamonds.
Liz Reaction Beat Character Comedy Jack: You are a puzzle, Kenneth Ellen. And I'm going to solve you.
Jack Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch TGS Writers: Present-day Linda Ronstadt. No, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Tootsie.
Liz Setup/Punchline Misdirection ★ Rewatch Gretchen: You'd die, and they wouldn't find you until your neighbour's dog smelled you from the hallway.
Gretchen Dark/Subversive Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Liz: Ever since I turned 30, every time I get in or out of the bathtub, I think in my head, 'Careful, careful.'
Liz Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Tracy: Made out of shrimp and diving into a bowl of shrimp.
Tracy Absurdist Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Tracy: So, hey, Dot Com, are we going to those three clubs tonight? You know, the doctor said I have four hearts in my body?
Tracy Absurdist Absurdist ★ Rewatch Kenneth: All clovers. I win.
Kenneth Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Liz: We're just friends, like Oprah and Gayle. Why is that so hard for everybody to believe?
Liz Irony/Sarcasm Observational ★ Rewatch Jenna · Liz: The guy obsessed with Charlie Chaplin. Neil. The one who played Halo under the name Slut Banger. Dennis. The gangly, red-haired guy who played guitar all the time. Conan.
Jenna Liz Escalation Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Liz · Josh: What if I said to you, 'Go be with Frank now'? Ah, I would be honoured. Frank is a very tender, beautiful man.
Liz Josh Misdirection Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Josh: He's awesome. You can't read his thoughts 'cause he doesn't have any.
Josh Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Jack: Will you, little Kenneth Ellen Parcell from Stone Mountain, Georgia, growing up in your mama's tract house, dreaming of working on a TV show, dreaming of making it all the way to the NBC?
Jack Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: But you'll always be a pig farmer's son, boy, 'cause I smell fried bologna all over you.
Jack Character Comedy Escalation Kenneth: I've got a 2, a 4, a 9, a 6, and a king. That means I win.
Kenneth Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Kenneth: Why? Because I believe that life is for the living. I believe in taking risks and biting off more than you can chew. And, also, people were yelling, and I got confused about the rules.
Kenneth Escalation Misdirection ★ Rewatch Jack: The Italians have a saying, Lemon. 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' And although they've never won a war or mass-produced a decent car, in this area, they are correct.
Jack Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jack: In five years, we'll all either be working for him... or be dead by his hand.
Jack Escalation Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Gretchen · Liz: So, unless you're ready to make a big life change, I need to move on, find my Stedman. I thought I was Oprah in this metaphor. Also, you're gay, so that's a little confusing. You should say, like, 'my lady Stedman.'
Gretchen Liz Callback Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Liz · Gretchen: It's just, if I try to imagine us being together, I think, 'Yeah, OK, this could be fun.' You know, picking out furniture and making flowerbeds out of old railroad ties. But the thing is, if I'm gonna be with someone, it has to be a guy. You sound pretty sure about that. What can I say? I love a bald spot and a hairy back.
Liz: What if we say that in, like, 25 years, if neither of us has someone, we'll move in together and be roommates? And even though I am not into the sex stuff, if it helps you, I would let you do stuff to me.
Liz Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Liz: That's funny. That's what the guys always say.
Liz Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Character: I can see your wedding ring. Idiot.